The Brookline Public Library hosted “Hidden Histories of Brookline’s Green Spaces,” cosponsored by the Brookline GreenSpace Alliance and the Brookline Historical Society, on Wednesday, March 4. Three speakers spoke about the Old Burying Ground, Hall’s Pond, Larz Anderson and the hundreds of years of history behind each area.

Katie Hendrick was the first speaker of the night, providing a presentation focused on the enslaved individuals at the Old Burying Ground. Hendrick began by speaking about the common burial methods in the graveyard, focusing particularly on the family tombs, some of which held enslaved people.

Hendrick said that although the enslaved people were buried in the family tombs of the enslavers, it wasn’t always due to morally righteous reasons.

“It is really, really important to note that this act was not necessarily a demonstration of familial ties or care, but rather could have been posturing to make individuals feel better about owning other human beings, or just convenience in that they would not have had to pay for a separate burying plot or a headstone,” Hendrick said.

An additional area in the cemetery was the Potter’s Field, where marginalized people such as slaves, immigrants and Indigenous people resided. This area was later bisected during the construction of a road, destroying most of the information about the bodies that rested there.

After delivering background on the cemetery, Hendrick discussed specific enslaved people buried at the site and what information remained of them, including a particular enslaved person named Boston.

“He was enslaved by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, who was famous for bringing the smallpox inoculation to Boston and New England,” Hendrick said. “However, we also know that Boylston experimented on enslaved individuals within his family.”

Hendrick discussed numerous enslaved people, such as 8-year-old Kate, or Ben and Dinah, slaves of the Heath family, after whom the Roland Hayes School was previously named. Then, Hendrick stated her goals for the burial ground.

“We’re hoping to move towards a physical commemoration on the site, to bring the memory to anybody who walks through the site,” Hendrick said. “I’m also hoping that this will bring about some continued research. I’d like to know more about the lives of the enslaved and free Black folks in Brookline.”

The next speaker of the night was Ann Frechette, who spoke about Hall’s Pond and how the infrastructure of the Boston area turned the once Atlantic White Cedar Swamp into the pond it is today.

The first of the major water infrastructure projects was the Back Bay Mill Dam, which tried and failed to generate electricity from the harbor tides. Nevertheless, it played a crucial role in changing Brookline’s landscape by eventually becoming Beacon Street and connecting the Shawmut Peninsula to North Brookline.

The next major project was the building of the Charles River Dam, which erased North Brookline’s tidal flats and swamp, and it prevented the tides needed for the ecosystem to flourish. This came with major development of roads and houses, along with the proposal to build a road over Hall’s Pond. The suggestion was made by Amos Lawrence, for whom the Lawrence School is currently named.

Frechette described the poor treatment of the pond over the years, from being loaded with trash to having non-native species placed there.

“It was an active garbage dump for the town for some time,” Frechette said. “If you’ve ever had the question, ‘Why are there carp that are non-native in Hall’s Pond,’ it’s because they were intentionally put there to try to get rid of the mosquito larvae.”

Frechette said that she hopes to bring back part of what the ecosystem used to be.

“We did install some of the Atlantic white cedar trees, hoping that there might be some way to restore at least the name of what Hall’s Pond once was,” Frechette said.

The final speaker of the night was Mary Dewart, who told the story of Larz Anderson Park. The land was initially bought by Larz and Isabel Anderson in 1898, who proceeded to construct vast gardens and even a mansion on the property. In addition to this, they collected cars, some of which can still be found in the auto museum on the property.

“Larz and Isabelle were a really interesting couple, and they were incredibly creative. They traveled around the world, and they built up their place called Weld,” Dewart said.

Dewart proceeded to read a portion of Isabel Anderson’s will.

“I, Isabelle Anderson, give and devise the town of Brookline all my estate, including Weld, including the dwelling house and the buildings thereon, for public education, for charitable purposes and purposes of public recreation,” Dewart recited.

Dewart said that much of the property was destroyed and vandalized. The Cupid Dolphin Fountain is currently in pieces in the corner of the park maintenance garage, and the town has considered using the columns of the Italianate garden as bumper stops around town.

Part of her organization’s goal is to protect the park from the erection of structures or expanded uses that would detract from or interfere with a park’s historical meaning. Dewart said it is an important aspect of Lars Anderson’s story.

“We exist to ensure that Larz is protected and maintained in perpetuity as a natural, scenic and historical open green space, and place of peace, reflection and outdoor recreation,” Dewart said.

Sean Lynn-Jones, the president of the Brookline GreenSpace Alliance, said he hopes people will learn more of what’s behind the parks.

“I hope people will go out and explore these green spaces but also learn about them, read about them and understand that they’re much more than just a patch of grass and trees or a clump of woods and a pond,” Lynn-Jones said. “There’s so much more behind the green space you see, and that’s why we wanted to let people know about the hidden histories.”